10 Cult TV Shows We’d Like to See on the Bigscreen

Introduction

Jericho

Deadwood

Pushing Daisies

Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared

My So Called Life

Wonderfalls and Joan of Arcadia

Happy Endings

Party Down

Battlestar Galactica

Chuck

“Veronica Mars” is the shining example of the little show that could. Creator Rob Thomas wrote the script for the movie and left the rest up to the show’s fanbase. The results were as sweet as a marshmallow.

The movie’s Kickstarter campaign exceeded its $2 million funding goal in less than 12 hours, earning its first million in a record-breaking four hours and 24 minutes.

But TV fans cannot live on “Mars” alone. Here are 10 other cult TV shows pulled off the air before their prime that could make a grand return — but on the bigscreen.

Diehard fans of the post-apocalyptic action-drama went nuts when exec producer Jon Turteltaub announced in 2009 that he was developing a “Jericho” feature spanning beyond the titular town.

Now series creator Stephen Chbosky and CBS, which canceled the show after its first season and brought it back for a seven-episode second season before pulling the plug again in 2008, are in talks with Netflix about reviving the show à la “Arrested Development.”

With the storyline in place thanks to the show writers’ comicbook series, “Jericho Season 3,” what more could they be waiting for? Maybe 20 tons of peanuts will pique their interest.

Ten years after the stylish Western premiered on HBO, audiences are still curious about how Seth Bullock, Al Swearengen and Calamity Jane’s loose storylines were meant to be tied up.

After killing the show as it was prepping for a fourth season, the cabler promised that the series would get a definitive conclusion with two TV movies (a similar fate reportedly once awaited another HBO drama with an ambiguous ending, “The Sopranos”), but those chances seem to be dead in the water. HBO CEO Richard Plepler once said the likelihood of a “Deadwood” pic happening is “slim to none.”

Although the quirky ABC drama, which was canceled during its second season, would make for an endearing musical, we would still also love to see it on the big screen.

Creator Bryan Fuller recently revealed that he’s in talks with director Barry Sonnenfeld and Warner Bros. about resurrecting the show as either a Broadway play focused on Kristin Chenoweth’s character or a movie.

“Barry said to me, ‘I have some ideas on how we could pull this off!’ I would love to do a musical, and I also would love to do a movie [as opposed to a Netflix run], because you have higher impact and it also has an iconography,” Fuller said.

Fans will hopefully get the reveal they’ve been waiting for since 2009: Chuck telling her mom that she’s alive.

“Everything I’ve done, in a way, is revenge for the people who canceled ‘Freaks and Geeks,’” Judd Apatow, who exec produced as well as wrote and directed eps for the show, recently told audiences.

But the ultimate act of retaliation would be bringing the sitcom and “Undeclared,” his “Freaks and Geeks” follow-up that was also canceled, to the silver screen.

Bringing back the teen angst series after almost two decades will be a challenge since lead Claire Danes and Jared Leto, who played her dreamy slacker boyfriend, are currently thriving with other projects. But, we’d love to see a drama with Danes’ Angela Chase and Leto’s Jordan Catalano embroiled in marital turmoil with awkward teens of their own.

Before “Pushing Daisies,” Bryan Fuller co-created the equally ingenious “Wonderfalls.” Fox only aired four episodes before pulling it when the drama couldn’t compete with another teen show about a girl who could hear voices, CBS’ “Joan of Arcadia.” We’d like to hear more from both heroines.

This critically-acclaimed show was canceled less than a year ago so the wound might be, too fresh. But with re-runs airing on VH1, the show now has a greater chance of attracting new audiences and drawing studio interest in a film.

Show creator David Caspe recently teased that Jane (Eliza Coupe) and Brad (Damon Wayans Jr.) would have eventually had a kid if the show continued. He also joked that audiences would have learned that all the characters were dead during the entire series. Storylines for the film area clearly endless.

This one might be dead on arrival, as star Adam Scott has said he doesn’t want a “Party Down” movie. But if anyone can corral a cast and drum up support for a film adaption of a TV show, it’s Rob Thomas.

The show’s co-creator (and over 91,000 fans) made the “Veronica Mars” movie a reality. Can the same be done for this cancelled series, which had appearances from the “Veronica Mars” cast?

His “X-Men: Days of Future Past” is slated for a May 23 release and he’s directing the first episode of David Shore and Vince Gilligan’s CBS drama “Battle Creek.” But maybe one day Bryan Singer can return to developing his cinematic take on “Battlestar Galactica.”

Because “Battlestar” has had two TV incarnations, Singer said the script (from John Orloff) will fit into two universes: Glen Larson’s 1978 original and Ron Moore’s 2003 reboot. It’s the best of both worlds.

Despite living under the threat of cancellation during almost all of its five-season run, Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz’s action-comedy actually saw a complete final season.

But the less-than-happy ending made us hungry for more. Schwartz has said that he considered bringing “Chuck” back following “Veronica Mars’” successful Kickstarter campaign. Although he didn’t confirm a possible movie, he didn’t deny it either.

Just like Chuck and Sarah’s final kiss, this gives us hope for a new day.

I enjoyed Veronica Mars and will definitely buy or rent the movie, but Jericho was one of the best shows I have seen in many years. I’d love a new season — c’mon Netflix — but a movie would be welcome too.